Mary, an Example of Devotion to Christ (Mark 14:1-11)

1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2 for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.” 3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” 10 Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. 11 And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him. (Mark 14:1-11)

Jesus Christ is worthy of our devotion. There is nothing we can give him that would put him in our debt. Though we know this about Jesus, what the woman in this story did for him is still astonishing because of its total lack of moderation. This is what the people present struggled with when they saw her that day. To them, she could have given the money to the poor and thanked Jesus less extravagantly. Many carry this spirit today. We cheer extreme devotion to careers, physical health, musical genius, athletic endeavors, relationships, wealth accumulation, the pursuit of knowledge, etc. But we struggle when someone wants to radically devote themselves to Jesus. How did she become so devoted to Christ?

1. She Thanked Christ for the Past The episode occurred in the house of someone close to the woman, a man named Simon (3), formerly a leper and outcast whom Jesus had likely cleansed. Now, he had become a homeowner in Bethany and a friend of our woman. She was likely thankful to Jesus for making himself accessible to her. Everything about the episode speaks of Jesus reaching those on the outside while those on the inside reject him. The religious leaders and Judas, men who should've been on the inside, rejected Jesus. Even the other disciples didn't understand Jesus' value system or identity when they rebuked the woman's gift. The outsiders got Jesus in this story: Simon, the leper. This female follower (in an age that didn't value female disciples). Even the city -- Bethany and not Jerusalem -- all speak of Jesus making a path for the outsider. Many moderns pride themselves on holding noble ideals like human rights and equality. But atheism, natural ("God is not involved in any way") evolution, or secular humanism never produce these values. Jesus Christ had to come to earth and make it plain that all members of the human species are equal in his sight. We get our hope for outsiders to be brought inside from Jesus. John's gospel tells us this is Mary, one of Lazarus's sisters. This dinner was hosted after Jesus raised Lazarus back to life. Both Jesus and Lazarus were the guests of honor. So, Mary is overwhelmed with thanksgiving for what Christ has done. He made the unclean clean. He brought the outsider inside. He gave the dead life. To grow in devotion toward Christ, you must thank him for all three today. If you have trusted in Christ’s finished work on the cross, you are clean, you are inside, and you are alive in him. Celebrate Jesus every day of your life! When the work of his cross is ever-present in our hearts, thankfulness flows, and devotion blooms.
2. She Trusted Christ with Her Future The issue the others had with her gift was its enormity. They couldn't believe she gave him something worth three hundred denarii (5), which amounted to one year of wages. That is one valuable gift! How Mary came to possess this flask of ointment is unknown. Women in that culture were usually excluded from careers that could earn enough to make such a purchase. Some have wondered if Mary had received it as a dowry earlier in life, or perhaps her family was wealthy, and this was an heirloom. And some have wondered if this was her way of saving for the future. However she got hold of this valuable item, she clearly trusted Christ with her future. With a year of wages in the bank, one could easily begin to trust in their material goods to get through life. Mary did not want to trust her riches but Jesus, so she laid it all out before him. She did not pour out a drop or two, but broke the flask and poured it over his head (3). In a moment, all that wealth and value was gone. Think of the trust involved in this level of devotion. As she broke the seal, cracked the flask, and began to pour, her trust was transferred at that moment -- from the lifeless contents of an alabaster flask to the living, breathing Son of God. With God the Son sitting before her, she calculated he would care for her future much better than the most robust bank account. Dead currency could not lead her like her living Lord. As you walk with Christ, moments large and small will come along. The question in these crossroads will be who do you trust? Do you trust the stuff, the equity, the markets, the paycheck, or the "responsible thing to do"? Or do you trust Christ?
3. She Worshiped Christ for His Person The grumbling circulated throughout the room. John's gospel tells us Judas -- the greedy punk who pilfered from the money box -- started the grumbling. He didn't want to give a penny to the poor, but he thought it would be a great way to cast doubt on the wisdom of her gift. "Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor" (4-5). Then they scolded her (5). This is often the way people are. Build a new sports stadium -- super. Build a modest new worship center -- what a waste. Churches have always felt the brunt of the scolding spirit found in Simon the leper's house. When those men said there was a better use for the money, they demeaned Mary, but they also demeaned Jesus. He defended her, saying, "Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me" (6-7). Mary knew what they did not. Jesus would not always be around. Poverty, of course, would. She knew Jesus was worthy of such extravagant love. Do we? Do we act like he's worth the first of everything in our lives? He is worth the first day of the week, the first of each day, the first of our income, and the first of our devotion.
4. She Served Christ as Best She Could Jesus defended her by saying, "She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial" (8). In this statement, we learn something about Mary. Her action was the response to a question: What could I do for Jesus? She was not among the twelve, so she could not do what they did. She was not a religious leader, nor was she Jesus' mother or Lazarus or Simon the ex-leper. She was Mary -- and as she scanned her own life and Jesus' heart, she realized something. Jesus is about to die. I perceive it. I am going to anoint him with burial spices before he dies. I can do that. We spend too much time daydreaming about all we'd do for Christ if our situation were different -- or if we were different. If I were this or that, I would follow Jesus in this or that way. Instead, like Mary, we should ask, what can I do? By the way, when you do what you can do, watch out. Door after door might open. Soon, you'll find yourself doing more than you ever dreamed.
5. She Loved Christ for His Cross What she did was anoint Jesus' body beforehand for burial (8). But how did Mary know? The gospels present her as always at Jesus' feet. Here, in worship. At Lazarus' death, in prayer. And in Luke's gospel, in study (Luke 10:39). She listened to Jesus teach while her sister Martha stayed busy around the house. I think it was during these teaching sessions she gained insight into Jesus' coming death. Already, she was grieving and mourning his death. But I think she trusted Jesus had to die. She had listened to him enough to know that God was in control in even the darkest moments. To grow in devotion to Christ, you must appreciate the cross. In our modern time, many have attempted to dilute the cross, saying he didn't die for anyone's sin; he didn't consume the judgment of God for us. Others have said Jesus' death unleashed salvation upon all humanity, no matter what people believe. But these universalist dreams only serve to dilute the power of the saving work of Jesus. He does not force his costly blood upon anyone. Salvation is a gift we must receive. Others have loved Jesus for his gracious stance toward the downtrodden and his attitude toward power and poverty. But they don't like what the cross says -- that we have all fallen short of God's glory, that the keeping of God's law could never save anyone, and that we will perish without Jesus. But this is the message of his death. And Mary, for whatever she knew about it, loved it. So Jesus rejoiced over her devotion. He said, "Truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her" (9). Forever, Mary serves as a benchmark of devotion for Christ's church.